Bartonella endocarditis-associated glomerulonephritis: a case report and review of the literature

Infectious endocarditis is associated with a number of systemic manifestations, including kidney disease. Kidney manifestations, including hematuria, parenchymal infarction, and glomerulonephritis, may affect as many as 40%-50% of patients with infective endocarditis. In a minority of cases of infective endocarditis, routine bacterial cultures do not yield an offending organism. Bartonella species are a known and relatively common cause of culture-negative endocarditis and have been associated with the development of endocarditis-associated glomerulonephritis. We present a case of Bartonella endocarditis-associated glomerulonephritis in which recognition of a characteristic immunofluorescent pattern and thorough investigation of the clinical history led to this uncommon diagnosis.